I'm a young American woman in Milan...and you're not. I go to La Scala a lot...and you don't.

Katia Ricciarelli

July 30, 2013

Modena will hold a free event in its Piazza Grande on September 6 to commemorate its hometown hero, Luciano Pavarotti, on the 6th annivesary of his death. Called "Vincero", it's hosted by Italian actor Michele Placido who will perform a work comprised of anecdotes curated by Bolognese writer, Grazie Versani.

Also on an anecdote kick is Big Luciano colleague, Katia Ricciarelli, who rolls out a variety extravaganza called 'Altro di Mi' on August 6 based on her 2008 autobiography. She'll be speaking about her career and relationships between opera-lite arias and showtunes such as 'Memory' and 'La Vie en rose'.

October 06, 2010

Katia's up to her old antics again! Italian soprano sparkplug Katia Ricciarelli publicly trash-talked ex-husband, superchees Italian TV icon Pippo Baudo (and also admitted her great love for Jose Carreras and Herbert Von Karajan), which will all be published in tomorrow's "Diva e Donna" magazine. All translations by OC kthnx!

Speaking against Pippo Baudo's unofficial embargo against "all things Katia" as host of Italian tv shows (which at times dedicate precious air time to opera and classical music), the Italian soprano says that she and Pippo aren't even on speaking terms. Separated in 2004, they were married for eighteen years. Katia was Baudo's second wife. Baudo is the long-time host of "Domenica In" and a prominent face behind Italy's super cheesy San Remo festivals.

She also divulges some of the greatest loves of her life. On Jose Carreras: "We were gorgeous and invincible. With him I experienced the most beautiful years of my life. It ended with him because we had such a strong rapport that I was afraid that it would distract me from my career. And he was married. But between us remains a great friendship."

Sadly, Katia speaks about her long marriage to Baudo: "I thought I'd grow old with him. I have no regrets about how things went. But I can't help thinking that if it had been true love, we would have stayed friends. Instead today, after eighteen years of marriage, we're nothing. Nothing."

"When he broadcasts shows about opera, he doesn't even mention me! He should do it even for the sake of being newsworthy! This isn't the way one should do things."

And she admits to crushing on Herbert von Karajan!! "I wanted to marry Herbert Von Karajan. If he had asked me to come into his 'office', let's say, I would have done it!"

August 19, 2010

Never one to go quietly into retirement, Katia Ricciarelli has been keeping herself busy off the opera stage: television appearances (she's been guest on a handful of Italian cooking shows), movie cameos, theater (she acted in Peter Quilter's "Glorious", a theatrical production about Florence Foster Jenkins). The 64-year-old Italian soprano spoke with Panorama magazine and confessed that she's been blessed to have lived out her dreams although she always realized it could all be gone one day (all translations are under Opera Chic's copyright and credit kthxbi!):

Ricciarelli on being gracious:

"Sometimes I think that I have nothing to dream about, because life gave me everything. And I thank God for it, he gave me dreams and allowed them to become real".

She also spoke about the state of opera, a subject that makes la signora Katia have words:

"Opera singers should never forget that we are dealing with an art that's often dramatically incoherent -- like the guy who yells 'Allarmi! Allarmi!" and then stands still -- or like the lady who has only a few minutes to live and she's still singing, singing, singing... Opera is riddled with incoherent stuff. And it repeats hundred-year-old shows over and over for an audience that never changes, either."

"We need change, we need to renew. Send the old people home, let them retire. Unless we want Italian opera houses to slip into chaos, filled as they are now with stuffed shirts. The present situation is this: opera is an old lady with no makeup on. I train young artists in my Accademia, and as Artistic Director in Lecce (ed: Teatro Politeama Greco) I always promote young artists. I did the same and at Sferisterio di Macerata (ed: she was Artistic Director from 2003 to 2005)."

"We need to accept them. Workers need to be guaranteed, but so much money is wasted pointlessly. Very high fees are paid to old singers who don't have it anymore, who lack any real motivation to be on stage. Don't make me name names, but I remember this singer, in Vienna: as soon as he had a significant break, he ran over to the casino. Still wearing his costume."

Rich people, La Ricciarelli, says, are part of the problem:

"They're cheapasses (in Italian: 'pulciosi'). They never give money to the arts, they park their Ferraris in front of the opera house then ask you for free seats. They never honor their responsibility to be patrons of the arts."

She also takes the time for an impression of her beloved Herbert Von Karajan's heavily-accented Italian, and she says something that impressed Opera Chic a lot. That she's always considered singing for conductors like Karajan, Abbado, Kleiber as "assuming a distinguished responsibility". It's a beautiful way of putting it, and they're probably words to live by.

March 08, 2007

Because Opera Chic was watching an amazing Carlo Maria Giulini 1981 concert -- OC has for Maestro Giulini the kind of devotion that Catholics have for saints -- a truly transcendent Stabat Mater (Rossini), with the beloved maestro tall and gaunt and gawky and so handsome with his superlong arms, soaring with the music and singing along -- as he liked to do, a habit that would baffle us if it were not him -- with the huge Philharmonia chorus that obviously worshipped him (as they should btw).

For reals, man, you're getting out of the house to go listen to the greatest Stabat Mater like, ev4r -- couldn't you wear something really formal like a shirt? Shoes, even? (he was clearly wearing sandals). And LEAVE THAT BONG AT HOME!

Anyway: the music was otherworldy, and a radiant Katia Ricciarelli (OC is a fan) totally looked like a plumper happier Hannah Schygulla without the creepy Fassbinder moments.